92 Abducted Kids Rescued in China

A woman looks at a display of missing people posted at an event organized by a television station to highlight the issue in Hangzhou, eastern China's Zhejiang province. (AP Photo)

(Newser)
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Raids on a kidnapping operation in China has resulted in the rescue of 92 abducted children, a state-run media organization reports. The kids were rescued along with two women, while 300 gang members were arrested, reports the Xinhua news agency, per AFP. Kidnappers stole children in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, then handed them off to deliverymen who would take them to other regions to be sold, according to the report. The bust happened two weeks ago, with local cops simultaneously hitting 11 different locations, but was only announced today.

A gender imbalance due to China's one-child policy means kidnapped women are often sold in remote areas where men are unable to find wives, Reuters reports. The policy also means some families will pay money for a male child if they can't conceive one on their own, reports Al Jazeera. Other kids may be sold to international adoption agencies. The news comes amid increasing public outrage over kidnappings, notes AFP, but Al Jazeera says even a big bust like this one may not put a dent in the trade: some humanitarian agencies say as many as 70,000 Chinese kids may be abducted every year. (Read more China stories.)